Fórsa activist Des Mullally is seeking support for his bid to win a second term as a worker-director on the board of the daa (Dublin airport authority).

A company employee for 38 years, Des was first elected as a worker-director in 2013.

Due to current circumstances regarding Covid-19, polling has moved to a full postal ballot. All daa employees are entitled to vote and the ballot will close on 15th December.

Des is campaigning on a platform to ensure that the strategic direction for the daa places staff at the centre over the next four years, to provide an effective voice on the board for all employees, and to ensure a secure future for jobs and incomes at the airport authority.

In a message to daa employees, Des emphasised his extensive experience, in addition to the particular challenges faced by daa workers during the pandemic.

“The entire aviation sector has been through the mill over the last two years and is now finally starting to recover. The strategic direction of daa during this recovery should, while safeguarding the company, also safeguard our staff who have persevered with us through the most horrific time ever experienced in our company.

“My priority, if elected, will be to work tirelessly to ensure that job security, terms and conditions, reward structures and personal development are kept to the forefront of decisions.

“We ‘rightsized’ during the pandemic, which has now left us ‘wrong-sized’ for our recovery. Properly resourcing our company must be a priority for all parts of our company,” he said.

Des served as worker-director for four years from 2014 to 2018, during which time the daa had to navigate out of the last recession to a position of unprecedented growth.

He said he hoped that this experience would reassure daa staff of his capacity to take up the post again during the challenging period of recovery ahead.